Samurai Era coins

[obiwanknabbe]

I was wondering if anyone knew of a reputable source for antique Japanese coins? Ryu, oban, koban ect. I have a few ichibu nishukin and nishugin but would like to add some of the larger coins to my collection. Clark Smith has a few but the inventory does not update often.advance. These are the few I have now.

 

Thanks in advace.

[Bugyotsuji]

It’s an interesting field. Hoping you find a reliable shop and some nice additions (and post them here!).

 

That silver ichibu for example. I bet most people here have not spotted the distinguishing feature for the year on it. 

[Jake6500]

So a couple of things...

 

1) What is meant by "Samurai era coins" exactly? Historically, Japan used the koku (rice bale) as a unit of measurement and currency for most of its history in what is referred to as the kokudaka system, so if you are in search of Japanese coinage pre-dating the Edo Period (from the wars) I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for... It basically doesn't exist.

 

2) If however you are in search of more Edo Period things such as the Kin or Gin Shu Ban coins in your photo, you can find these from reputable sellers specialising in old/historical coins on Ebay with a quick search. I've also seen these on Jauce from time to time while browsing tsuba, without directly looking for them. Plenty of Japanese sellers also sell these internationally on Ebay. If you're searching for authentic Ryou gold bars these are going to cost a small fortune and are a lot rarer, however the JP government minted replica ryou bars a while back which are more affordable and accessible.

 

3) I noticed there is an absence of Edo Period mon coins in your collection. These are readily obtainable on Ebay also. A simple search of "Edo Period coin" will return results if these are what you're looking for. Just pick a reputable seller. They are not super expensive either as they were minted en masse during the Edo Period.

[obiwanknabbe]

I'm just leary of ebay. Been burned too many times in the past. 

[Bugyotsuji]

Many years ago at an early morning market in Fukuyama, I was looking at some Edo period coins. A middle-aged man handed me a bag. "These are all fakes. Study them carefully", he said, walking off. I was left speechless! 

 

In my experience there are more real cash coins around. I have a box of Ichi monsen, yon monsen, ju monsen and Tempo hyaku monsen in various conditions. 一文銭、四文銭、（宝永通宝1708~）十文銭、天保の百文銭

 

As to Koban, they are so valuable it would be strange if there were not fakers out there. One coin dealer in Tsuyama looked at my little Hime-koban for me and told me that the better fakes are actually worth quite a bit; some people even collect them. There is an organization in Tokyo who will for a sum give you a certificate if they deem your koban to be genuine.

 

Hard enough to judge in the hand, the problem will surely be magnified buying off FleaBay. If you are up for a gamble, though...

[Alex A]

I have a bunch of Samurai era coins but doubt they are what you are looking for, they were not expensive.

 

Just old coins, think maybe one small silver coin.

 

Had a phase of buying them many years ago, think maybe several.

 

A few of them